When an agency or entity needs to solicit information from a user, it may send or provide the user a blank report form to complete. The user would either type or write the data in the report form. In other instances, the user forwards the blank report form to a third party, who is in possession of the requisite data, for completion. Upon receipt of the completed report form, the user may use the data on the completed report form to submit a separate report containing additional data to the requesting agency along with the completed report form.
For example, in Germany the Inland Revenue (i.e., the agency) sends a taxpayer his tax card (i.e., report form) to solicit income tax-related information. The taxpayer, upon receipt of his tax card, forwards it to the payroll department of his employer (i.e., a third party in possession of the reporting data). The payroll department either manually types or writes in the taxpayer's income tax data in the tax card. The completed tax card is then returned to the taxpayer. The taxpayer makes his tax declaration based on the data in his tax card along with additional data in the taxpayer's possession. Both the tax declaration and the completed tax card are returned to the Inland Revenue completing the tax reporting process.
There are several problems with the existing reporting process. When data are entered manually in the report form transcription errors can occur. Data can be entered in the wrong place. Data can be incorrectly transferred from the payroll department's record to the report form. Basically, manual entry of data introduces human errors. Another problem with the existing reporting process is delay. Time is consumed in getting the report form to the reporting party, completing the report form manually, and returning the completed report form back to the requesting agency. Delays are sometimes lengthened due to scheduling conflicts with other projects in the payroll department. Still another problem with the existing reporting process is cost. Labor cost relating to data entry for the reporting party and the manual labor required to retrieve the data from the report form for the agency or entity can be significant. Additionally, there are costs to archive the paper report form, mail, print, and dispose of the report form.
Accordingly, it may be useful to provide an enhanced reporting process that permits a party to electronically enter data on a report form pertaining to a named individual in the form, a party to electronically incorporate additional data on the completed report form to generate a separate report or declaration, and a party to electronically interact with the requesting agency.